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You’ve probably heard the phrase “speed-to-lead”, but what does that even mean and does it make a difference? You’re gonna be shocked by the answer.
Speed-to-lead is how long it takes your business to respond after someone reaches out. A website form, a booking request, a “do you have availability?” message.
The clock starts the moment they hit submit.
Harvard Business Review audited 2,241 U.S. companies to see how fast they answered a web inquiry. The average response time was 42 hours. 23% never answered at all.
Companies that responded within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to reach the decision maker. Within an hour. Not within a day.
Think about what that means for a service business. When someone fills out your form, they’re ready to book now. Many of them are filling out a competitor’s form too.
The first business to respond usually gets the first conversation. Often, that’s the one that gets the booking.
In the last article, you set up a loop that brings new people to you. This one makes sure they hear back before they look anywhere else.
Issue 3 did this for missed calls. This is the same principle for your website form. If you built the $11 website, this is what should happen after someone fills out its form.
Most owners know they should respond quickly. The challenge is that inquiries rarely arrive at a convenient time.
They come in while you’re with a client, running the front desk, or closing up for the night. By the time you see them, hours have passed.
That’s not a discipline problem. It’s a process problem.
Here’s exactly how it works
I built this for a client in HighLevel. It runs as one straight line. Five steps, no branches.
Take Sarah, who owns a wellness spa. Here’s what happens the moment someone submits her website form.
1. The inquiry becomes a card
The form creates a card in Sarah’s pipeline, in a stage called New Lead. Every inquiry lives in one place instead of getting buried in her inbox.
2. A text goes out right away
Hi {First Name}, this is Sarah with Serenity Wellness Spa. Thanks for reaching out! Which service are you interested in, and what days work best for you? Reply STOP to opt out.
If the person didn’t leave a phone number, this step skips itself. Everything after it still runs.
3. An email goes out with a booking link
Subject: Thanks for reaching out, {First Name}
Hi {First Name}, thank you for contacting Serenity Wellness Spa. We received your request and will be in touch shortly. If you’d like to book now, you can choose a time that works for you here: [Book your appointment] We look forward to seeing you. Sarah, Serenity Wellness Spa
The button links straight to Sarah’s booking calendar. The client can schedule without waiting on anyone.
4. Sarah gets an alert
A text and an email notify her right away:
New lead: {Name}. Source: {Source}. Phone: {Phone}.
Now she knows. And because the client already heard back, there’s no scramble. She can follow up after her current appointment.
5. The card moves forward
The contact gets a tag, and the card moves to a stage called Contacted. At a glance, Sarah sees who has been answered and who still needs a personal follow-up.
The whole sequence runs in about a minute.
Why one straight line? In HighLevel, branches never join back together. A straight line means every inquiry reaches every step, phone number or not.
A note on texting. Only text people who asked to hear from you. Add a consent line to your form, and always include “Reply STOP to opt out.”
Business texting also has to be registered with the carriers before it sends. Issue 3 walks through that.
Building it takes about 30 minutes in HighLevel. Most of that time goes into writing the two messages.
Do it by hand tonight
You don’t need any software for this. Your phone and a spreadsheet are enough.
Make the form ping your phone. Most website forms send you an email. Turn on notifications for that inbox so it alerts you like a text.
Write your two replies. Copy the text and email above into your Notes app. Adjust them for your business and services.
Get a booking link. Google Calendar and Calendly can both create one for free. Add it to your email.
Respond within five minutes. When the alert comes in, paste and send. Between appointments is fine. It takes 30 seconds.
Track it. One row per inquiry in a spreadsheet. Name, date, and how fast you responded.
Want it to run on its own? The tool I continue to use is HighLevel. It texts, emails, and alerts you before you’ve even seen the form. There are so many other features on that site as well. It’s a great first option if you’re looking for an all-in-one marketing and CRM tool.
Your Quick Win tonight
Fill out your own website form tonight. Then time how long it takes for anyone to respond.
Reply to this email and tell me your number.
Or if you want help setting up speed-to-lead for your business, shoot me an email.
Now go get this quick win!
-Bryan
Did you miss the earlier Quick Wins?
Catch up here:
#1: Review Catch-Up Go back through your old customers and turn past work into new reviews.
#2: The Automatic Review System Make asking for reviews part of your normal customer process.
#3: The Missed Call Text-Back Every missed call gets a text back in under two minutes.
#4: AI Answers the Call Answer your customers, no matter the time of day.
#5: The Review Router Good reviews get answered fast. Bad reviews get your personal attention.
#6: The $11 Website Build it tonight with AI. Own it for $11.08 a year.
#7: The Referral Loop Turn one referral into the next one.